KEM With vocal stylings reminiscent of jazz great Al Jarreau and a delivery as smooth as his clean-shaven head, adult-contemporary R&B star Kem is guaranteed to move the grown and sexy crowd. His 2003 debut, Kemistry, yielded an instant classic with mid-tempo “Love Calls.” Since then, he’s released two more albums, all certified gold. And with good reason — not only does Kem write and arrange most of his music, but he has an intimate, magnetic style that shines in live performances. Not to mention, a four-octave range that he is in complete control of, pulling the listeners in before unleashing the its force. His story, of a hard-luck past in Detroit that includes stints of homelessness, informs his songs of heartache and renewal. Kem doesn’t break any bounds lyrically — he doesn’t have to. He’s already done so in real life. $55-$115. Sept. 5, 9 p.m. Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd. 704-372-3600.

SOUL KHAN Soul Khan makes music to save your life. That’s a tall order for a bespectacled, nebbish, rockin’ junior-high-science-teacher look, but the Brooklyn MC has the smarts, heart and cojones to make it so. A cofounder of underground hip-hop collective the Brown Bag AllStars, Soul Khan rose through the battle-rapping ranks with his raspy baritone, witty rhymes and ferocious metaphors. Six million-plus YouTube views later, he’s left the freak fame of battle rap behind, concentrating on honest, insightful lyrics, deliberate diction and pop craftsmanship. The swagger of old remains, as when Soul Khan boldly jacks circular, neo-classical piano into the aggressive rap of “Soulstice 3,” but the result is emotive and yearning, not boastful. The title track of the current Wellstone EP welds Soul Khan’s agile pop with uplifting, life-affirming rhymes. Here, the Grass Roots’ chestnut “Live for Today” is not just sampled, but it also serves as a springboard for a protest anthem that traces a clear line to the old-school agit-pop of “Eve of Destruction.” With songwriting this dexterous, it’s easy to tune into Soul Kahn’s transformative message, and the life you save may be your own. $10. Sept. 5, 8:30 p.m. Chop Shop, 399 E. 35th St. 704-574-7973.

THE BRONZED CHORUS We’ve all seen enough duos to know the common narrative — holy shit, can you believe two people are making that much sound?, etc. But bands like The Bronzed Chorus, from Greensboro, explodes that conceit a bit. This is to say that many of those duos we’ve been calling “full-sounding” for so many years now come off as a little bit lacking, a little bit thin, trebly and incomplete, next to The Bronzed Chorus’ thickness and drive. These guys’ tonal range is closer to that of Providence band The Body — another guitar-and-drums two-piece that never leaves the house without a healthy low end. In The Bronzed Chorus, that low end tends to come from multi-tasking drummer Hunter Allen — he often plays a synth with one hand. Guitarist Adam Joyce plays busily, though tastefully, often tackling melodic and rhythmic lines on his beat-up black Les Paul. The result? Maserati, as played by two people. With The Bear Romantic, The Winter Sounds, and I Was Totally Destroying It. $5. Aug. 31, 9 p.m. Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. 704-333-9799.

BOMBADIL Bombadil’s label — Ramseur Records — picked up the Durham band after seeing it open for Ramseur’s most famous act, The Avett Brothers. That’s appropriate, since Bombadil also uses acoustic folk and Americana styles as springboards into some intriguingly nontraditional pop. Bombadil also owes a bit to indie songsters Devotchka, with the band’s tasteful chamber-pop elements, and even ’70s prog-sters, with its intricately composed though bombastic flourishes. That performance with The Avetts was six years ago, and since then, the band has seen challenges aplenty — several members have departed (from the band as well as from the state) and bassist Daniel Michalak suffered nerve damage to his hands. Shows such as this one easily could have not happened, and we suspect Bombadil knows this. So ... YOLO, right? I can’t believe I just typed that. (We can’t either. — Ed.) $7. Aug. 31, 8 p.m. The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. 704-376-3737.

WOODY PINES Joyously retro in both sound and presentation, the Asheville combo Woody Pines rips into old-timey country blues, ragtime, jazz and New Orleans street-corner music with abandon. This is urban hillbilly music that also can take you into the sticks with a jug of homemade hooch, or to front-porch hoedowns, or to tent revivals. The band’s varied combinations of acoustic instruments — guitars, stand-up bass, fiddles, harmonica, sax and cornet — are handled by fully versed musicians. Don’t forget your dancin’ shoes. $8. Aug. 30, 9 p.m. Double Door Inn, 1218 Charlottetowne Ave. 704-376-1446.

BROWNBIRD RUDY RELIC There’s something to be said for a consciously anachronistic stage persona — especially if the transformation is total. New York City’s Brownbird Rudy Relic, with his slick pompadour and rambunctious proto-rock stomp, exists in a sort of hillbilly/country blues tradition — as if, in some alternate universe, rock 'n’ roll had never happened and its basic elements lived on anyway in a rough, raw state. The Brownbird, who identifies as Chicano, flavors his blues swing with elements of Mexican balladry. Accordingly, he spends very little time in tried-and-tedious 12-bar territory — avoiding the familiar folk-revival Lightnin’ Hopkins and Robert Johnson-worship in favor of something that lives, breathes and evolves. So, come on out and meet a time-traveler. With Los Bastardos Magnificos, One Fine Damn Band and Bill Stroupe, Geoffreaux. $5-$9. Aug. 29, 9 p.m. The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road. 704-398-0472.

PUFFY AREOLAS If you haven’t had a good earwax-clearing lately, these noisemakers from the Cleveland and Chicago areas should do nicely. Built from elements of early Motor City rock, coruscating psych and hardcore aggro-angst, the band’s In the Army 1981 (a 2010 release, actually) captivates and alienates in equal measure. If you funneled the Stooges through other forebears like proto-metalheads White Boy and the Average Rat Band or Italian punkers Tampax, threw in some early Dwarves and added a shit-ton of guitar noise, you’d be in the general sonic area code. It’s not for the faint of heart, but steers clear of annoying screamo or lame-ass metal angst tropes and instead rocks like mad. Of course, Googling “puffy areolas” will result in more questionable website hits than videos of the band, but both probably earn their NSFW designations. With locals Great Architect, Meat Group and DJ Stroupenassty. $5-$9. Aug. 28, 9 p.m. The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road. 704-398-0472.

MY MORNING JACKET Undeniably rooted in the school of alt-country that worships Neil Young, MMJ has mushroomed over the years into an ensemble bent on randomly mining genres as the band members choose. The foundation is roots-rock, but anything is game — neo-psychedelia, shoegazing, rock, pop, country. The combo is fully self-defined and tailor-made if you dig bending genres into an expanse of sound where a floating tune can convulse into a reverb-laden, effects-loaded, noisy conclusion. The blokes play music as they please, and that eclecticism is no better displayed than with the sonic evolution that bookends “Old September Blues,” from their debut, to “Holdin’ on to Black Metal,” from the recent Circuital. With Band of Horses. $40-$60. Aug. 25, 7 p.m. Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre, 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. 704-549-5555.

PALEFACE Willfully ramshackle alt-folk and acoustic punk savant Paleface has been poised on the verge of a big commercial breakthrough for more than 20 years. Signed to a major label in 1991, he refused to tamp down his outspokenness and wayward weirdness, appalling fans of tour-mates (and banal footnote) The Crash Test Dummies. Tours with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Billy Bragg — along with another flirtation with the majors — followed, but it wasn’t until Paleface crossed paths with Concord’s Avett Brothers and Ramseur Records that the singer locked into his groove. Moving from New York City to North Carolina, Paleface has found the ideal collaborator in his wife, percussionist and singer Monica Samalot. Her earthy vocals mesh perfectly with the gruff troubadour’s, and her “inspired primitive,” Moe Tucker-style drumming propels the duo’s jaunty, zydeco-flavored folk-pop and rootsy shout-alongs that by turns recall Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, M. Ward and John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.” Paleface may be mellowed, but he’s still the disheveled street-corner preacher whose thoughts spill out rushed and unfiltered. It’s a big piece of Paleface’s charm that he seems compelled to cram all of his thoughts and emotions into every minute, as if the song he’s singing, indeed each verse, may be his last. With Jeremy Current. $10. Aug. 25, 8 p.m. Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. 704-376-3737.

UNKNOWN HINSON Fans of the Cartoon Network may recognize Unknown Hinson, not for his off-kilter psychobilly music, but for his voicing of Early Cuyler, the lead character of Squidbillies. But for those who are unfamiliar with Hinson’s mighty twang, fat-Elvis mutton chops and absurdist lyrics, his music should come as a pleasant surprise. For one thing, the man can shred. His songs, playing on classic country-western subjects from money troubles to gettiing blotto, flirt with dark themes and are sometimes simply ridiculous. “Venus Bound,” for example, finds him singing, “I’m building me a rocket ship/To go where womens don’t give no lip/I’ma blastin’ off/Baby I’m Venus bound.” Delivering his cheeky, politically incorrect ditties in ’60s country-western garb, Hinson’s onstage persona calls to mind fellow hillbilly hero Jesco White, if only the dancing outlaw hadn’t huffed quite so much gas. In the strange space where music and comedy overlap, Unknown Hinson makes songs you can dance and chuckle to at the same time. With Aqualads. $15-$18. Aug. 25, 8 p.m. Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200.